This IDC Retail Insights report evaluates the current and future state of Internet of Things(IoT) technology in retail. Consumer demand for convenience, product availability, and personalized and contextualized interactions will drive retailers to adopt multiple IoT technologies, which beckons a fresh evaluation of Internet of Things opportunities in retail. Common retail use cases and examples described in the report include product tracking/traceability, interactive consumer engagement and operations, smart operations (which includes interactive consumer engagement), mobile payments, fleet management, and asset management.

Leslie Hand, research director, IDC Retail Insights, reports that "consumer demand for interactive, engaging, and convenient retail experience trump retail hesitance to invest in IoT. IoT technologies have matured, the use cases are well defined, and cloud-based solutions improve return on investment, reducing the barriers to implementation."